Saturday, March 21, 2015

Planning Our Garden Now

Summer 2014

Spring has started here in New York with a fury of cold weather and snow. That is not unheard of. Though most people forget that. I take this time to get some chores and projects finished in my house since soon I will be into gardening season. I am making a lot of plans for our new garden. We are adding some fruit sources to our homestead this year. I regret doing it so late, but better late than never, as the saying goes.

Some of our raised beds

This morning I took the time to make a list of the herbs and flowers I need to add to our garden. I have spent so much time cultivating the vegetables that I don't have any area devoted strictly to the medicinal and culinary plants we need. One stone raised bed has two trees in it and I am hoping my husband sees it in his heart (with all the other projects he is waiting for the weather to warm up so he can tackle)  to take those trees down. One tree has my clothesline attached to it. He wants to change that set up so that is no problem.

The Snake Bed

That raised bed we refer to as the snake bed, not because it has snakes (though it does), but because of the shape. Long and curling. I think it would be a good spot for the medicinal and culinary plants. And one section for the asparagus bed. This year I plan on increasing our greens and salad vegetables. I don't even know if I will bother with squashes as I have a huge amount canned. If I do, I will plant only one or two plants of winter and summer varieties. Probably zucchini and one winter type.

Nutmeg's Garden

I have a special bed (called Nutmeg's Garden) for lemon balm because it takes over the whole bed. Last year it got plowed under by mistake and I didn't have much of a crop. That was okay though, as the years before it was too much for me to harvest or handle. I am thinking that if I have it growing that much again, I will offer it for sale. It is a good medicinal plant. The leaves can used fresh or dried for fevers, period cramps, headaches, colds, insomnia and other uses to many to mention here. I wrote about it in a past post, Lemon Balm: Food or Medicine. What special plans are you making for your 2015 garden? Don't forget the herbs!





Copyright © 2015 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2015 Kathleen G. Lupole








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